Kurt Westergaard: Danish cartoonist behind Muhammad cartoon dies
The news of his death was met with both sadness and joy on social media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, well known for drawing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, has died after a long illness at the age of 86.
In 2005, Westergaard became known for the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad he made for the conservative Jyllands-Posten newspaper where he was working since the early 1980s. Islam forbids the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad and many Muslims consider it offensive.
The cartoons resulted in protests in Denmark with the national government getting complaints from many Muslim-majority countries. Subsequently, in 2006, there were protests in several Muslim countries including attacks on the Danish embassies.
According to Berlingske on Sunday, Westergaard died at the age of 86 after a long illness.
He received several death threats in his lifetime, after which he went into hiding. But subsequently, he chose to live openly in Aarhus in Denmark.
The cartoonist was also a target of several assassination attempts and, in 2008, the intelligence agency of Denmark arrested three people who were allegedly planning to murder him. In 2010, the police in Denmark shot a Somali national with a knife trying to break into Westergaard’s house.
Though the cartoonist had to live with security at a secret location for years, in 2008, he told Reuters news agency of having no regrets about his cartoons. Westergaard said that the caricatures had led to “important” discussions.
“I would do it the same way (again) because I think that this cartoon crisis in a way is a catalyst which is intensifying the adaptation of Islam. We are discussing the two cultures, the two religions as never before and that is important,” he had said.
Following the news of his death, Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician, posted a photo on Twitter. “The great Kurt Westergaard died. He was a brave man. An example for all of us. Rest In peace my friend! #KurtWestergaard,” he tweeted.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments